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Wednesday, October 12, 2016

In a recent Kickstarter update GrowlerWerks mentioned that they had been served with a patent infringement lawsuit by Drink Tanks, another pressurized growler company. I thought it would be interesting to examine the technical aspects of this patent dispute between two local Oregon growler companies. In November 2015, Drink Tanks filed a lawsuit with the United States Federal Court in Deleware, claiming that the GrowlerWerks uKeg infringes their patent. Both companies completed successful Kickstarter projects for CO2-pressurized growlers for storing, preserving, and dispensing beer.

Disclaimer: In examining this case I will be providing some of my own opinions and thoughts regarding the lawsuit. I am by no means a legal expert, and any opinions should be taken as such.

Drink Tanks

In March of 2013, a Kickstarter campaign for Drink Tanks was launched creating one of the first pressurized growlers on the market. A month later, the campaign closed with $236,772 in funding and 1,959 backers. Two years later, they launched a second campaign for the Kegulator Cap and The Juggernaut 128 oz. growler. This time they raised $304,142 with 2,076 backers. Almost a year later, Drink Tanks purchased a $1.64 million dollar, 17,250 square-foot facility in downtown Bend, as they had outgrown their previous building and needed more room. However, not all was going seamlessly at Drink Tanks. A recent Kickstarter update indicated they have been “unable to get consistent results” from their recent batch of Kegulator caps. Some of these delays have been caused by of manufacturing issues and tooling changes.

GrowlerWerks

On October 15, 2014 GrowlerWerks launched their Kickstarter for the uKeg; on December 7th they successfully funded their campaign with over $1.5 million dollars. Since, then the GrowlerWerks team has had some scaling issues as well, varying from production issues to product refinement, while still trying to fulfill rewards for over 10,000 backers. GrowlerWerks’ recent Kickstarter updates indicate they continue to ship out uKegs to their Kickstarter backers. However, they have had to do so at a reduced rate, selling to retail outlets in order to fund their pending lawsuit.

Both companies are currently having difficulties fulfilling the rewards to their backers. As is the case with many popular Kickstarters, there are unforeseen issues and delays in taking a product from an idea to mass production (e.g. Ouya, Coolest Cooler, Pebble Watch, the list goes on.)

I attempted to contact Drink Tanks CEO, Nick Hill, in order to get his side of the story for this article. Unfortunately, I was told Drink Tanks could not comment on active litigation. I also reached out to GrowlerWerks CEO, Shawn Huff, and he agreed to discuss the issues with me. He was also able to direct me to some of the publically available court documents and patent office filings.

In speaking with Huff, he is unclear about what specific part of the patent the uKeg allegedly infringes. The court documents do not specify which claims of the patent are being infringed, only that there is a claim of infringement. One of the main things I got from our conversation is how unexpected this lawsuit was to him. After receiving the lawsuit, Huff said he called Drink Tanks CEO Nick Hill and tried to discuss the issue since the two were on friendly terms. Hill had visited with the GrowlerWerks team at both the Craft Brewers Conference and Great American Beer Festival, where they were both exhibitors and there was no mention of a lawsuit. Shawn said Hill never returned the call, but he did get a call from Hill’s lawyer, indicating he would speak with him. Huff then set up a meeting through the lawyers in Bend, but explained Drink Tanks cancelled before the meeting took place.

Huff also added he wasn’t sure what Drink Tanks was trying to achieve with the lawsuit, saying that “Draft beer growlers are a niche market, so more offerings and awareness benefits everyone in the business. Growlers aren’t a new thing, in fact they’re a very old thing that people used to share their beer, but our companies have innovated and re-introduced them for craft beer lovers. Lawsuits aren’t really in the spirit of craft beer collaboration either.”

In my experience, most people in the craft beer industry are very friendly and want to help each other out. While Drink Tanks is entitled to file this lawsuit, it seems to go against the spirit of craft beer by not trying to work it out before going straight to litigation.

CASE TIMELINE

The following is a brief timeline, setting up an order of events for the patent litigation that will be explained further.

Feb. 2013

Drink Tanks files first
provisional patent.

Mar. 2013

Drink Tanks Launches their first
Kickstarter with the DrinkTank and KegCap.

Jun. 2013

Drink Tanks files full patent
application.

Dec. 2013

GrowlerWerks founders come up with
idea to make a new pressurized growler after drinking flat beer from a glass
growler.

Jan 2014

GrowlerWerks researches
pressurized growlers and finds many products already being sold. So they
purchase one of each and decide none really meet their requirements, and
begin designing their own.

May 2014

GrowlerWerks applies for first
provisional uKeg patent application.

Oct. 14, 2014

GrowlerWerks launches Kickstarter
aware of the Drink Tanks original patent, the next day, Drink Tanks files for
an expanded continuation of their original ‘959 patent.

*GrowlerWerks, not knowing about the continuation until they were sued, were obliged to reference the ‘670 patent in their USPTO application. Patent applicants are required to provide all relevant references they know about up until the point that the USPTO issues the patent. The patent examiner did not reject the application based on the reference and the patent was granted.

The USPTO has a process called re-examination to reevaluate patents that may have been granted in error. GrowlerWerks claims that the patent examiner made a mistake and granted IP for technology that was already in the marketplace. GrowlerWerks submitted a petition for IPR (Inter-Partes Review), which is to correct an oversight by the patent office.

The following patent applications were not mentioned in the “references cited” section of either the original Drink Tanks’ patent or its continuation:

The exclusion of these patents in this section indicates the examiner was not provided with them as prior art and did not find them in his review during examination of the continuation. Additionally, not only are none of these relevant applications cited, a large portions of the citations are in reference to cryogenics or other non-beverage container patents.

THE PATENT PROCESS

When submitting a patent application the inventor makes a claim or claims, describing what they have invented and what is new and novel about it. For a patent to be patentable it must meet the criteria in United Stated Code (U.S.C.) Section 35, portions of which are paraphrased below. These are not the only requirements for a patent to be granted, but they are the major sections that are frequently cited in cases like this.

35 U.S.C. §101 – Patentable subject matter - the new invention must be in a category for which a patent may be granted

35 U.S.C. §112 – Enabling description - Must contain a written description of the invention and the manner and process of making and using it.

The Drink Tanks litigation claims GrowlerWerks has infringed their intellectual property. To counter their claim of infringement, GrowlerWerks has submitted a patent re-examination request, which asks the USPTO to take another look at the claims in the Drink Tanks continuation. If some of the Drink Tanks claims are found to be invalid by the re-examination, then the claim on infringement could be substantially narrowed.

The task for GrowlerWerks is to prove aspects of the Drink Tanks patent are not valid. GrowlerWerks has submitted a lengthy examination of every line of Drink Tanks’ patent claims. But the most obvious analysis can be done on the two independent claims

The following prior art summary, attached with one of GrowlerWerks’ court filings, briefly describes GrowlerWerks argument that Drink Tanks should have never been issued the continuation. The text in red is specific pieces of the Drink Tanks independent patent claims, GrowlerWerks asserts is prior art. Those sections are then superimposed over four previously existing patents. I have also underlined the sections unique to each claim.

Prior Art Summary (Click to expand)

Claim 1

A beverage storage system comprising: a container body comprising a vacuum sealed metal vessel having a rimwhich has a non-planar surface, a lid having athreaded portionand a gas inlet valve; and an annular elastomeric seal interposed between a bottom surface of the lid and the rim and configured to seal against the non-planar surface of the rim.

Claim 18

A beverage storage systemcomprising: a container body comprising a vacuum sealed metal vessel having a rimwhich has a non-planar surface, a lid having a gas inlet valve; and an annular elastomeric sealdisposed in an annular channel in the bottom surface of the lid and configured to seal against the non-planar surface of the rim; wherein the container body includes a generally cylindrical neck regionand the channel includes asidewall configured to abut an outer surface of the neck region.

This diagram describes the Drink Tanks system as a combination of a rim sealing lid, integrated with a GrowlerSaver, on top of a HydroFlask. There are also a variety of pressurized growlers on the market such as the Brauler (another Portland Kickstarter company), ManCan, TrailKeg, iKegger, and CO2 Mini Beer Tap Head System. Combining multiple obvious technologies does not warrant a new patentable technology. Combining multiple patents does not warrant a new invention, sections of these patents even mention combining them.

EXAMINATION OF THE CLAIMS

The first claim (1), if you remove the part about the gas inlet valve, comes pretty close to describing the HydroFlask. Drink Tanks uses the same seal type used on the HydroFlask, which was available long before Drink Tanks.

HydroFlask lid (Left) and Drink Tank lid (Right)

So what you’re left with, if you take out the HydroFlask portion, is “a lid having a threaded portion”

The threaded portion seems to be worded slightly ambiguously. The implication being that the cap could be threaded or the gas inlet valve could be threaded; neither being a new invention.

The second claim (18) is a reassertion of the first, describing the HydroFlask with a gas valve, and then adding the seal is “disposed in an annular channel”, the body includes “a generally cylindrical neck region”, and the channel includes “a sidewall configured to abut an outer surface of the neck region.”

Seals “disposed in an annular channel” are available as prior art on both the 2008 Olsen patent and the HydroFlask. A body including a “generally cylindrical neck region” might seem a little broad to some. I am not aware of many sealing beverage storage systems not having a generally cylindrical neck region (e.g. travel mugs, glass growlers, soda bottles, etc.)

The next difference describes the “sidewall configured to abut an outer surface of the neck region.” This seal design is not new and also one Drink Tanks does not use. The seal used by Drink Tanks is the same as HydroFlask, a square o-ring sandwiched between the bottom of the lid and the top of the growler rim. The difference being HydroFlasks have a screw top and Drink Tanks use wire bales to generate seal pressure.

The uKeg uses a round o-ring, a style of o-ring that is commonly used on beverage containers, dating back to the first vacuum insulated Thermoses®. It is a very generic and widely used method of sealing liquid vessels (e.g. travel mugs.) I took a picture of a Contigo® travel mug, Fifty/Fifty® growler (also from Bend), and the uKeg’s lid o-ring. They are all vacuum insulated and use a round o-ring to seal on the inside of the vessel.

Round o-rings found on Contigo Cup, Fifty/Fifty Growler and uKeg

At the end of the day I believe this comes down to the USPTO granted intellectual property rights to Drink Tanks which it did not own. GrowlerWerks has asked the patent office to do a re-examination and included all of the readily available prior art demonstrating all aspects of the Drink Tanks patent were pre-existing on the marketplace prior to the application. The re-examination will then allow the USPTO the necessary information to correct the oversight.

For me, this entire litigation can be summed up in one simple sentence:

A patent was mistakenly granted when Drink Tanks claimed they invented pre-existing technology.

The USPTO must decide by December 7th, 2016 if they will institute the inter-partes review based on GrowlerWerks’ petition. In the case that they do not institute the IPR, the federal court case will determine if the patent and infringement claims are valid.

Disclosure: I did participate in the GrowlerWerks Kickstarter campaign and pledged for a uKeg64.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Holiday Ale Festival will officially come of age this year as it celebrates the 21st annual event, Nov. 30 through Dec. 4 at Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW Sixth Ave. Known for assembling a prestigious lineup of winter beers, the festival will feature more than 50 specialty ales that have either been crafted specifically for the event or are hard-to-fine vintages, underscoring the event's reputation as one of finest gathering of winter beers anywhere in the nation.

Event hours are 11am to 10pm Wednesday through Saturday, and 11am to 5pm Sunday. To avoid the lengthy lines that often accompany beer festivals, the recommended days for attendance are Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. The Holiday Ale Festival is for ages 21 and over.

Despite being held outdoors during one of the coldest months of the year, nearly 14,000 festival attendees stay warm and dry over the five-day festival under clear-topped tents that cover the venue. Gas heaters create a cozy ambiance beneath the boughs of the region's largest decorated Christmas tree. In addition to beer tasting, the festival also features meet the brewer events with rare beers, a root beer garden, food vendors, self-guided beer pairings with cheese, event merchandise and a coat/bag check and raffle.

What makes this festival standout from other similar events is the beer selection: the festival works with every brewery involved to make sure they send a beer that has either been made or blended specifically for the event, or is a rare or vintage beer that isn't commonly tapped in the state. This festival offers the brewers a chance to reward their fans with amazing holiday gifts in the form of one a kind beers. This year’s beer list will be announced in early October.

To enter and consume beer, the purchase of an entry package is required. Advance general admission costs $35 and includes the 2016 tasting cup and 14 taster tickets, plus expedited entry all five days with a print at home ticket. General admission at the door is the same price, but includes only 12 tickets and no expedited entry. Advance VIP packages cost $100 and include the tasting cup, 30 taster tickets, special VIP beer lines with little to no waiting, exclusive VIP only vintage beers, bottled water and express entry all five days (VIP tickets are limited to 250 and are not available at the door). All advance packages will go on sale in late September at www.holidayale.com.

Once inside the festival, a full beer costs four taster tickets, and a taster costs one ticket. Certain limited release and special tappings may not be available in full pours, or may cost extra tickets. Additional beer tickets can be purchased for $1 apiece. Previous years’ mugs will not be filled. Express re-entry requires a wristband and the 2016 tasting cup, and is subject to the festival's capacity.

Designated drivers in a party of two or more may purchase a designated driver wristband for $10, which includes Crater Lake Root Beer or bottled water for the duration of the stay; the festival matches then quadruples the proceeds from all designated driver tickets, root beer garden, bag and coat check and raffle sales. All proceeds are given to the Children's Cancer Association’s MusicRx program, which delivers the healing power of music to children battling cancer and their families.

Returning to the event is the 13th annual Sunday Beer Brunch, taking place Dec. 4 from 11am to 1pm on the upper level of Pioneer Courthouse Square. The auxiliary event features European pastries, cured meats and artisanal cheeses to accompany an assortment of exclusive vintage draft and bottled beers not available at the festival itself, plus several special large format bottles to be shared during the event. Tickets cost $80 and will be available at www.holidayale.com in September. For more information about both events, visit www.holidayale.com.

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

The 29th annual Oregon Brewers Festival returns to Tom McCall Waterfront Park, July 27 through 31, 2016 for four days of craft beer bliss.

Times
Wed through Sat, gates open at 11:30am, taps are open from Noon to 9pm
Sun, gates open at 11:30am, taps are open from Noon to 7pm
Token & mug sales close one-half hour prior to the taps shutting off (8:30pm daily, except 6:30pm Sunday)

Admission
The OBF is not a ticketed event; admission into the festival venue is free. In order to consume beer, a one-time purchase of a 2016 tasting mug is required and costs $7. Beer is purchased with wooden tokens, which cost $1 apiece. Patrons pay four tokens for a full mug of beer, or one token for a taste. Cups and tokens are sold on-site; they are also available up to two weeks prior to the festival at select local locations, including Raccoon Lodge & Brew Pub, Cascade Brewing Barrel House, Belmont Station, Deschutes in the Pearl, Rogue Ales Public House and the Green Dragon. The festival is cash only, and there are eight ATMs on-site.

Description
The Oregon Brewers Festival is one of the nation's longest running and best loved craft beer festivals. Situated on the west bank of the Willamette River, with towering Mt. Hood as a backdrop, it is the ideal venue for anyone who loves craft beer. With a laid back attitude and scores of award-winning beers, the festival reflects the essence of the city of Portland.

The Oregon Brewers Festival exists to provide an opportunity to sample and learn about a variety of craft beer styles from across the country. Eighty-five craft breweries from North America offer more than 30 styles of handcrafted beers to 80,000 beer lovers during the five-day event; an additional two taps are dedicated to gluten-free beer, and one tap is reserved for the Oregon Brew Crew Collaboration project. The International Beer Garden will feature another 14 beers served by breweries from Japan, The Netherlands and Belgium.

The festival also features live music, food vendors, beer-related vendors, homebrewing demonstrations, and the Crater Lake Soda Garden (complimentary handcrafted soda for minors and designated drivers). Minors are welcome at the festival when accompanied by a parent. Pets are not allowed unless ADA.

The Oregon Brewers Festival encourages responsible drinking, and urges patrons to take advantage of the MAX Light Rail line, located just one block west of the festival on SW Oak Street. Go by bus, train or taxi, just don't drink and drive. The festival also offers free monitored on-site bicycle parking, courtesy of Hopworks Urban Brewery.

The Oregon Brewers Festival was founded in 1988 as an opportunity to expose the public to microbrews at a time when the craft brewing industry was just getting off the ground. Today, Portland has more breweries than any other city in the world, and the Portland metropolitan area is the largest craft brewing market in the US. A study estimated the economic impact of the 2015 OBF at $30.2 million for the local economy.

Below is a list of the beers that will be presented at the OBF this year:

54° 40' Brewing Co. - 70% Ultra Pilsner Style: German-Style Pilsner ABV: 5.1 IBU: 30 Color: GoldenDescription: Mmm...Ultras! Northwest grown Ultra hops are the standout in this bright, refreshing German-style Pilsner. This beer is best enjoyed out of a Crowler while floating down the Washougal River, but under the sun on the banks of the Willamette ain't bad neither. Pony up for a full mug, folks, and enjoy your beer.

Ambacht Brewing - Golden Rye Summertime Ale Style: Rye Beer ABV: 6.9 IBU: 17 Color: GoldenDescription: Ambacht Golden Rye Summertime Ale is a Belgian-inspired rye ale. Low in bitterness and golden in color, it gains a touch of fruitiness from the yeast and sweet notes from the honey used to keg-condition the beer. This one is balanced, smooth and flavorful.

Anderson Valley Brewing Co. - Briney Melon Gose Style: Gose ABV: 4.2 IBU: Not Provided Color: GoldenDescription: This beer's special ingredients are a combination unique to the festival: salt and coriander, true to this Belgian-style, and natural watermelon puree to balance the tartness from kettle-souring with lactobacillus bacteria. But more than 95% of this beer is Rudy Nebs: that's Boontling speak for pristine Boonville mineral water. This one is low in alcohol, so don't shy away from grabbing a full mug!

Aslan Brewing Co. - Disco Lemonade Style: Berliner-Weisse ABV: 4.4 IBU: 1 Color: GoldenDescription: Originally brewed in collaboration with the Bellingham Homebrewers Guild, this sour brew is a refreshing beer brewed to a style that dates back to the Middle Ages and is often referred to as "The People’s Champagne." The tartness of this beer will bring out hints of lemon, while the generous amount of wheat will round out the body, lending a remarkable similarity to lemonade.

August Schell Brewing Co. - Hefeweizen Style: South German-Style Hefeweizen ABV: 5.5 IBU: 12 Color: GoldenDescription: Brewed with a blend of wheat and barley malts, Schell uses an authentic weizen yeast that gives the beer a predominately fruity ale character with notes of banana and clove, a slight citrus-like tartness, and a bready wheat backbone. Refreshingly light with a higher than normal carbonation level, the beer's unfiltered yeast left in suspension makes this straw-colored beer appear cloudy.

Baird Beer - Pacific Porter Style: Baltic Porter ABV: 8.2 IBU: 40 Color: BlackDescription: This is the Baird Beer Pacific Ocean version of a classic Baltic porter, part of its Brewers Passion series of beers that includes one-offs and recurring yearly releases. Caramel and roasted malts contribute to a body that is chewy and rich but not thick or cloying. Dryly piquant flavor notes of molasses and licorice register just before giving way to a pleasingly warm, alcohol-tinged finish.

Baird Beer - Four Sisters Spring Bock Style: Maibock ABV: 7.4 IBU: 40 Color: GoldenDescription: Four Sisters is brewed in the spirit of a German maibock, specifically the bock beer that was brewed in the city of Einbeck in the 13th Century. In keeping with that tradition, Four Sisters is triple-decoction mashed and contains a moderate portion of Japanese unmalted wheat. Refreshing, wholesome, hearty and robust. What more could you want from a Bock beer?

Bison Organic Beer - Kermit the Hop Style: Imperial India Pale Ale ABV: 8.5 IBU: 90 Color: Light AmberDescription: It isn’t easy being green; sexy organic hops are hard to come by. But Bison obtained organic Simcoe and brewed its first Double IPA. With more than three pounds of hops per barrel, Kermit The Hop is bright and citrusy with tongue-tingling bitterness. Resinous pine coats the tongue and reluctantly gives way to grapefruit and a grassy bitterness that lingers at the back of the tongue for days. Drink green!

Boundary Bay Brewery - Escape Velocity Style: Pale Ale ABV: 5.2 IBU: 41 Color: GoldenDescription: This double dry hopped, medium-bodied ale is brewed entirely with Galaxy hops added to the early, middle and late boil, the fermenter and keg. Two-row and Munich malts create a golden wort fermented with a Northwest ale yeast, producing pleasant esters and balancing the high-hop flavors and aromas of citrus and tropical fruit. Escape Velocity is out of this world and leaves you feeling cool and refreshed.

Brauerei Nothhaft - Rawetzer Premium Export Festbier Style: German-Style Oktoberfest/Wiesn ABV: 5.4 IBU: 23 Color: GoldenDescription: Brauerei Nothhaft is proud to be able to give visitors of the festival the opportunity to try out a traditional Franconian craft beer, with recipes passed down over the ages within the Nothhaft family. Pilsner, Munich and carapils malts provide the fermentables and the golden color, balanced by Hallertauer and Tradition hops.

Brouwerij Frontaal - Nebula Style: Smoke Porter ABV: 6.5 IBU: 45 Color: BlackDescription: This beer, though as dark as midnight, avoids the acridness common to many dark ales by steeping the dark malts in the wort for 60 minutes instead of including them in the mash. The result is a smooth, sweeter, malty porter with a hint of smoke from the Rauch malt. Chocolate, brown and carafa malts round out the grist, and the balancing bitterness comes from Chinook and Brewer's Gold hops.

Brouwerij Maximus - Tenhop White Style: Wheat Beer without Yeast ABV: 4.8 IBU: 35 Color: GoldenDescription: This beer gets its name from the 10 hop varieties used variously in the kettle, whirlpool and fermenter – yet it's not a bitter beer. Balancing all those hop varieties is a complex grist of pilsner, wheat, Munich light and dark, Vienna and caramel malts. Unlike most wheats made in the U.S. and Bavaria, this Dutch wheat has no yeast remaining in suspension, providing a golden clarity in your glass.

Buoy Beer Co. - Dragon Weisse Style: Berliner-Weisse ABV: 3.5 IBU: 6 Color: RedDescription: Brewed with German pilsen malt and malted white wheat, this Berliner weisse was made tart using a kettle souring process. A light dose of Perle hops in the boil provides just enough bitterness, and the brew was dry hopped with Calypso hops. Dragon fruit puree was added during secondary fermentation, giving the beer flavors of kiwi, pear and melon.

Burnside Brewing Co. - Cedar IPA Style: India Pale Ale ABV: 7.4 IBU: 75 Color: GoldenDescription: This is a traditionally brewed Pacific Northwest IPA with a unique twist: the addition of cedar in conditioning tanks (no, not Beechwood). Pilsner malt, wheat and caramalt form the malty base. The cedar is joined with a blend of Meridian and Amarillo dry hops, which are also used in four additions to provide a balancing bitterness, hop flavor and aroma.

Cascade Brewing - Seshsimilla Style: Session India Pale Ale ABV: 5.2 IBU: 38 Color: GoldenDescription: This East Coast-style imperial session IPA was brewed with Patagonian malt, wheat and a touch of oats to cradle the crushing citrusy hop-forward combination of El Dorado, Citra and Motueka hops. It was fermented with a neutral and clean fermenting yeast with a dry sense of humor.

Coin Toss Brewing Co. - Orange Sunshine Style: Session India Pale Ale ABV: 5.5 IBU: 48 Color: Light AmberDescription: Orange Sunshine is Coin Toss Brewing's inaugural festival beer, brewed with two-row pale malt and hopped with Meridian and Nugget. Five pounds of zest from Heirloom and Navel oranges were added at flame-out, and juice from more than 200 oranges was blended in post-fermentation, making this beer as bright and cheerful as a sunny July afternoon at the OBF.

Deschutes Brewery - Gluten Free Style: Pale Ale ABV: 5.5 IBU: 45 Color: Light AmberDescription: This beer is made gluten-free by replacing the fermentables with rice, honey, tapioca and candi syrup. Bravo hops at the start of the boil, Crystal 30 minutes before cast out, and more Bravo in the hopback are accented by Meridian in the fermenter. This beer is crisp and light-bodied with citrusy hops, a hint of honey and a refreshingly tart finish.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - Dogfish Head Shelter Pale Ale Style: Pale Ale ABV: 5 IBU: 30 Color: Light AmberDescription: Dogfish Head's original and most approachable beer, Shelter Pale Ale is brewed with a premium barley and Northwestern Willamette and Columbus hops for a fine malt backbone and a slightly nutty flavor. It's a versatile and quaffable beer named Shelter Pale Ale because it's a place you can come home to. It just made sense for this Dogfish original.

Ecliptic Brewing - Carina Peach Sour Ale Style: Sour Ale ABV: 5.5 IBU: 10 Color: GoldenDescription: Carina Peach Sour Ale takes its name from the constellation Carina, the keel of the ship Argo in the southern sky. Loaded with fresh peach flavor, Carina is a sour ale perfect for any time of year. The use of pale malt makes for a crisp character, while lactobacillus gives Carina a tart and refreshing finish.

Everybody's Brewing - ISSR Style: India Style Session Red ABV: 4.5 IBU: 49 Color: RedDescription: Innovation sets this beer apart. Starting with cold fermentation more typical of a lager, this ale is whirlpool double-hopped, and dry hopped four times with Mosaic, Mandarina Bavaria and Citras. Dark Belgian candi syrup is added to the grist of American pilsner, three types of crystal, carared and wheat malt – yet it still comes in at a moderate 4.5% ABV. The flocculent English ale yeast produces a moderate ester profile.

Ex Novo Brewing Co. - All of the Things Style: Berliner-Weisse ABV: 4.1 IBU: 8 Color: GoldenDescription: This German-style sour ale starts with a grist of imported pilsner and wheat, with very moderate amounts of bittering hops. An addition of passion fruit and the subtle tropical back-end heat of habanero, finished with a copious dry hop addition of fruit-forward hops, makes for an explosive aroma. Kettle soured with lacto culture, this truly has all of the things that make a beer unique.

Fearless Brewing Co. - Strawberry Cream Ale Style: Cream Ale ABV: 4.7 IBU: 17 Color: GoldenDescription: Fearless Strawberry Cream Ale has the smooth, approachable body of a cream ale with a hint of strawberries. A summer thirst-quencher, it sold out fast at last year's OBF. Brewed from the magical water of the Clackamas River, some call it light and refreshing, but most call it STRAWBERRILICIOUS!

Flying Fish Brewing Co. - Love Fish Style: Belgian-Style Dubbel ABV: 7.1 IBU: 10 Color: BrownDescription: Local cherries are infused into this beer after primary fermentation by its Trappist Ale yeast, which adds fruity esters (plum and raisin) along with notes of almond. Low doses of Styrian Goldings hops balance the grist of pilsen, Munich and chocolate malts. This was a silver medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival.

Georgetown Brewing Co. - Gusto Crema Coffee Ale Style: Coffee Beer ABV: 4.9 IBU: Not Provided Color: GoldenDescription: Eighty pounds of coffee beans were cold-brewed and added to this beer, making it the perfect wake-me-up for the festival. Very light amounts of Sterling hops were used in the kettle to keep hops out of the way of the coffee flavors and aromas. The grist of two-row, Munich, flaked corn and flaked oats was fermented by the brewer's house ale yeast, which contributes a slight fruitiness and body.

GoodLife Brewing Co. - Road To Helles Style: Munich-Style Helles ABV: 5 IBU: 17.5 Color: GoldenDescription: The term Helles or Hell in German can be translated to "bright," "light" or "pale." One look at this beer and you'll know the brewers nailed it. Lightly hopped, but refreshing and low in alcohol, it's a summer thirst-quencher.

Great Divide Brewing Co. - Nadia Kali Hibiscus Saison Style: Saison ABV: 6.3 IBU: 20 Color: Pink/PurpleDescription: Nadia Kali is an inspired saison with cross-cultural influence. Its ruby pink glow comes from a generous infusion of hibiscus, while ginger root gives it a subtle spice and hint of woodsy maturity, and lemon peel adds a citrus tartness to keep you on your toes. Full of complexity and intrigue, this unfiltered beauty will show you just how deceiving looks can be.

Jing-A Brewing Co. - Koji Red Ale Style: Red Ale ABV: 5.5 IBU: 25 Color: RedDescription: Koji Red Ale is an experimental ale made with Koji sake rice, wasabi root and ginger. The result is a blushing red color, a fruity aroma and barrel-like notes. There's no other beer like it at the festival.

Laht Neppur Brewing Co. - Flaming Peach Style: Fruit Beer ABV: 5.8 IBU: 17 Color: Dark AmberDescription: Cayenne and jalapeño peppers join cinnamon and ginger root to give this beer its heat, balanced by a heavy dose of peach concentrate and lactose for added smooth sweetness late in the boil. Goldings hops added only at the transfer of the wort to the boil kettle for moderate bittering. The result is a complex, spicy beer in which nothing dominates and each of the flavors can be identified individually.

Lakefront Brewery - Lakefront SMaSH Ale Style: Golden Ale ABV: 5.2 IBU: 14 Color: GoldenDescription: The secret to this beer is in its name. SMaSH is an acronym meaning Single Malt (Vienna) and Single Hop (Willamette). The color is a soft gold with citrusy, woodsy and herbal hop flavors. The malt gives a medium light body with sweet, caramel and biscuit flavors. SMaSH Ale is an easy drinking beverage on a summer day – a flavorful session ale.

Lakeland Brewing Co. - Lipstick On A Pig Style: Herb and Spice Beer ABV: 7.6 IBU: 18 Color: GoldenDescription: This beer is “dry spiced" rather than dry hopped. Black peppercorns and basil provide a spicy character and aroma, while strawberries add a subtle sweetness and ever so slight pinkish hue to its golden haze. Mild but spicy Saaz hops in the boil keep the bitterness low and the flavor high. The American ale yeast ferments to a soft, clean profile with hints of nut and a slightly tart finish.

Lang Bräu - Schwarz & Weiss Style: Specialty Beer ABV: 7.5 IBU: 60 Color: Dark AmberDescription: Schwarz & Weiss (black & white) is a meeting of traditional German brewing art and the fantastic new influences from the U.S., especially dry hopping and flavor hops. This brew combines a pale bock with a dark bock with a mash of Munich, pilsner and dark caramel malt, with Hallertauer hops for bittering. It is then dry hopped with three different flavor hops, Hallertauer Perle, Saphir and Cascade.

Laurelwood Public House & Brewery - Gose Style: Gose ABV: 4.8 IBU: 10 Color: GoldenDescription: Lactobacillus bacteria ferments and acidifies this beer, giving it a tart, lemony flavor, while coriander and Jacobsen sea salt from the Oregon Coast lend a rich sea salt flavor. A small amount of Sterling hops were added to help balance this hazy, light, refreshing wheat beer. Its low alcohol content makes it very sessionable.

Lompoc Brewing - Trouble Maker Style: Lager ABV: 4.9 IBU: 1 Color: GoldenDescription: There's one in every crowd, and no surprise that this year's is Lompoc. Pale malt, caramel pils, wheat and flaked barley comprise the grist, with a complex hop bill of Horizon, Goldings, Saaz, more Goldings, Cascade, more Saaz and more Goldings. Imperial Organic L17 Harvest Strain yeast creates all the trouble you'll need, but keeps the alcohol manageable, so you can manage the troublemaker in your crowd.

Lost Abbey - Serpent's Stout Style: Imperial Stout ABV: 11 IBU: Not Provided Color: BlackDescription: A portion of Serpent's Stout was fermented in bourbon barrels, then blended back into the original beer, lending sweetness to this dark brew. Roasted barley, chocolate malt, caramel, flaked barley and extra dark crystal malt are double-mashed in the tun. Centennial and Magnum hops are added to the boil to balance the sweetness. Despite all the malt and the deep color, the beer finishes very clean and dry.

McMenamins Edgefield Brewery " - Boom Gose The Dynamite Style: Gose ABV: 4.1 IBU: 6 Color: Pink/PurpleDescription: The salinity that accentuates the body of this beer is provided by Oregon Flaked Sea Salt from Jacobsen Salt Co. This brew was kettle soured with a pure lactobacillus culture, which works hand in hand with Imperial Organic Yeast's ""Citrus"" strain to provide a delightful tartness. The combined use of wheat and barley malt deliver the backbone of the beer while hibiscus, dried ginger and Tettnanger Hops play off of the acidity and contribute floral aromas and flavors of bright citrus.

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Melvin Brewing - 2x4 DIPA Style: Imperial India Pale Ale ABV: 10 IBU: 100 Color: GoldenDescription: 2x4 DIPA has a stupid amount of CTZ, Citra, Simcoe and Centennial hops, particularly at the dry hop stage (Citra, Simcoe), layered on a light malt base that gives way to notes of pine, citrus and tropical fruit. While there are many great beer styles from the past, think of this as a beer from the future. Don’t hate, party.

Mt. Shasta Brewing Co. - Lemurian Lager Style: Lager ABV: 6 IBU: 21 Color: GoldenDescription: This golden lager is bright, clear – and vegan! It uses a silicate based fining agent for brite tank clarification rather than the traditional isinglass. Three weeks of cold lagering, including a week of dry hopping, make this golden brew crisp and clean, balanced between the flavors of malt and flavorful Saaz hops.

Natian Brewery - 50 Shades of (Earl) Grey Style: India Pale Ale ABV: 8.1 IBU: 60 Color: Dark AmberDescription: This beer's unusual innovation is at the same time a time-honored brewing technique – of a different sort. An infusion of cold brewed Earl Grey tea leaves during secondary fermentation provides a unique tannic flavor and an added edge of bitterness to balance the high sweetness and alcohol levels. Think of it as a Portland-style Long Island Iced Tea.

Ninkasi Brewing Co. - Grapefruit Sour Style: Sour Ale ABV: 5 IBU: 14 Color: GoldenDescription: This beer is soured in the kettle using lactobacillus brevis and lactobacillus delbruekii. It is then fermented with Ninkasi's house ale strain, adding character and esters to the flavor profile. On the cold side, 100 percent grapefruit concentrate is added to give this beer a citrusy character and even more sourness. Other than that, it's a simple beer: two-row and wheat malt with crystal hops.

North Island Beer - Coriander Black Style: Herb and Spice Beer ABV: 6.1 IBU: 21 Color: BlackDescription: This beer's simple name tells you its two greatest secrets: it's a black ale, spiced with coriander seeds. The big body, black color and high alcohol levels come from pale ale, caramel, chocolate and wheat malts, fermented by an American ale yeast. Cascade hops in the first wort and at knockout provide moderate hop bitterness to balance the big malt character. In essence, it's a coriander-spiced Cascadian dark ale.

North Island Beer - India Pale Ale Style: India Pale Ale ABV: 7.3 IBU: 94 Color: Dark AmberDescription: You may not be familiar with North Island's beers, but you'll recognize the style and process. Its "four by four" hop schedule included four additions of four very Northwest IPA style hops: Cascade, Galena, Chinook and Citra, including in the whirlpool for maximum hoppy aroma and flavor. Pilsner, pale ale and caramel provide a massive malt base to carry that big hop load, fermented fairly dry by an American ale yeast.

Oakshire Brewing - Sun Made Cucumber Berliner Weisse Style: Berliner-Weisse ABV: 4 IBU: 12 Color: GoldenDescription: Cucumber juice and pulp processed in-house from real cucumbers are added to this beer, providing a cucumber and melon aroma with tart and cucumber flavors. A house lactobacillus culture is used to decrease PH through this beer's lactic acid production. Straw colored in appearance, its low alcohol, balanced flavor and clean, dry finish make this an exceptional summer session beer.

Old Market Pub and Brewery - Weizen It Cloudy? Style: South German-Style Kristall Weizen ABV: 5.2 IBU: 14 Color: GoldenDescription: This kristall weizen is brewed with 50% wheat malt, along with organic two-row, Munich, pilsen and acidulated malt. Czech Saaz hops do the bittering and help the Willamettes add hop flavor and aroma. The goal is to bring the great flavors and drinkability of a Bavarian-style weissbier to the Oregon Brewers Festival. To add to the drinkability, the weissbier is filtered to make a kristall weizen.

Old Town Brewing Co. - Kentucky Refresh-mint Style: Herb and Spice Beer ABV: 5.25 IBU: 20 Color: Light AmberDescription: Ya'll are gonna have to read this with your best Kentucky accent out loud to yo' friends, you heah? Ah do declay-ah. It appears that these here brewers aged this brew on some local mint and bourbon wood to invoke the taste of a Mint Julep beer. There's not so many hops, so if yours is a, shall we say, delicate palate, and you favor the taste of mint juleps, why, do give this one a try.

Oproer Brewery - Black Flag Style: Black Ale ABV: 6.5 IBU: 75 Color: BlackDescription: This beer is a hybrid of an IPA and a stout: dark in color, full-bodied, but also chock-full of hop bitterness and flavor. A grist of pale, amber, caracrystal, chocolate and rye malts with some roasted barley, all steeped in Utrecht tap water, get balanced by Cascade, Cascade and more Cascade hops. A clean American-style yeast allows the malt and hops to shine.

Ordnance Brewing - Bloops Style: Fruit Wheat Beer ABV: 4.6 IBU: 21 Color: GoldenDescription: The fruit in this wheat beer: blueberries! Lactose is also added to the malt base of white wheat, pale malt, dextrapils and carawheat for a light-bodied, golden brew, which is then bittered with Nugget hops and finished with Cascades. A reverse osmosis process treats the water, rebuilt with calcium chloride and gypsum. The house ale yeast ferments clean and allows the other ingredients to shine.

Payette Brewing Co. - 8 Second Rye'd Style: Imperial Rye Pale Ale ABV: 8 IBU: 70 Color: Light AmberDescription: Unlike a real rodeo, the aroma of passion fruit, peaches and mangos fills the air with this beer. After mashing crystal, pale and rye malts, Citra hops give the brew a tropical fruit nose and flavor with a spicy, rye kick. This is a sessionable beer, which means this might be your first, but it won't be your last Rodeo.

PINTS Brewing Co. - Lemon Curd ESB Style: Extra Special Bitter ABV: 5.5 IBU: 40 Color: Dark AmberDescription: PINTS has created an intriguing blend of Old Europe and the Orient. An English-style ESB is paired with the zesty playfulness of Meyer lemon peel (originally from China) and English lemon curd. The crisp malt backbone allows the interplay between citrus flavors and aromas contributed by the lemons and the El Dorado hops used in the finish. The Scottish Ale yeast strain highlights the malt notes and mild esters.

Riverbend Brewing - Oregonized Love Style: India Pale Ale ABV: 6.5 IBU: 65 Color: GoldenDescription: An ode to Northwest hops and everything the Riverbend brewers love about Oregon, this IPA is built to be loved by festival-goers. Simple malts work in harmony to support a complex array of citrus, pine and spicy hop flavors and aromatics.

Rusty Truck Brewing Co. - Licensed to Kill IPA Style: India Pale Ale ABV: 7 IBU: 78.8 Color: BrownDescription: Crosby Hop Farm’s top secret brand new hop is called "the 007." Only a few chosen brewers were granted access to this new hop. Brown in hue, this Northwest-style IPA finishes dry and clocks in at 7% ABV and 79 IBU. That's all you need to know; if we tell you more, we’d have to kill you.

Sasquatch Brewery - Nancy Cherrygan Style: Fruit Beer ABV: 6.9 IBU: 16 Color: Pink/PurpleDescription: This kettle soured golden wheat ale is brewed with three varieties of local Northwest cherries: Rainier, Bing, and Montmorency. It's soured with lactobacillus yeast from Nancy’s Greek yogurt, using a special two day brew schedule – the first for the kettle souring, and the second for the boil, chilling and pitching.

Schooner Exact Brewing Co. - Hopvine IPA Style: India Pale Ale ABV: 6.1 IBU: 60 Color: GoldenDescription: Brewed in a post-modern Northwest IPA fashion, this beer’s lightly sweet malt base balances the barley, crystal and Munich malts with Chinook and Columbus hops for bittering and huge late additions of Citra hops for flavor and aroma. The American Ale yeast is high attenuating and produces low levels of esters. Full of flavor, this beer is like drinking straight off the hopvine.

Seaside Brewing Co. - Honey Badger Blonde Style: Golden Ale ABV: 5.5 IBU: 14 Color: GoldenDescription: This light, crisp ale features Vienna lager malts, some two-row, a touch of wheat, honey and 100% Mt. Hood hops. It's commonly referred to as Seaside's lawnmower beer, except that the lawns there are all sand. Which is hard to mow. But it's excellent for lying back and sipping a great brew.

Shiga Kogen Beer - Isseki Sancho Style: Strong Ale ABV: 9.5 IBU: 87 Color: BlackDescription: This big, dark brew from Japan was aged two months in Ichiro's Malt whisky barrels from Japan's newest distillery, Chichibu Distillery. It is rather dry because of the high attenuation achieved by the saison yeast as well as the bitterness of hops, tasting more like a full-bodied red wine. The beer achieves an excellent balance between the saison flavor, hop aroma, roast malts and not too oaky flavor from the barrels.

Shonan Beer - IPA Mosaic Style: India Pale Ale ABV: 6 IBU: 45 Color: Light AmberDescription: This brewery has won the World Beer Cup five times, and it could be because nearly 95% of its beer is comprised of underflow snowmelt from one of the world's highest mountains, Mount Tanzawa. It's almost unfair to add malt and hops, but they do, and the result is a crisp, hoppy India Pale Ale made in strict accordance with Reinheitsgebot, the German beer purity law.

Shonan Beer - Weizenbock Style: Weizenbock ABV: 7 IBU: 12 Color: Light AmberDescription: Wheat comprises half of this beer’s malt profile. With a fine head, this Weizenbock’s yeast allows it to give off banana and clove aromas and flavors. By using a small amount of caramel and roasted malts, and coming in at a slightly higher alcohol level than other wheat beers, this Weizenbock offers a rich, full-bodied taste.

Slanted Rock Brewing Co. - Señor Jalapeacho Style: Chili Pepper Beer ABV: 4.5 IBU: 17 Color: GoldenDescription: This brew is a low alcohol, session beer with a balanced flavor profile. A moderate dose of jalapeño peppers make it a little bit spicy (but not too much), while dehydrated peach powder adds a sweet, fruity character. A simple grist of two-row, white wheat and carapils malts and a single dose of Willamette hops in the boil allow the peach and pepper flavors to emerge without any one flavor dominating.

Squatters Craft Beers - Bumper Crop Style: Herb and Spice Beer ABV: 5.5 IBU: 12 Color: GoldenDescription: Like summer in a glass, Bumper Crop starts with the gentle aroma of freshly gathered lavender and features local Utah honey for a soft, slightly sweet finish. Premium two-row, pilsner, honey and victory malt are hop-balanced with Galena for bittering and U.S. Golding for aroma. It simply tastes bee-yootiful.

Stone Brewing - Gose Gose Gadget Style: Gose ABV: 4.1 IBU: Not Provided Color: GoldenDescription: This Gose has a slightly cloudy straw color with off-white foam and aromas of fruit, funk, lemon zest, salt and a light hint of smoke. There's some sourness (lemon and lime, sour patch kids) in the flavor, with savory and salty notes. The finish is tart and salty, with a hint of smoke, overripe fruit, lemon and peach – leaving your mouth salivating for more.

StormBreaker Brewing - Handfuls of Hops v.OBF Style: India Pale Ale ABV: 6.7 IBU: 62 Color: GoldenDescription: You'd think that a beer whose first hop addition is 30 minutes from the end of the boil - about 2/3 of the way through - would have a low hop profile. Not this time! That's just the first of three big flavorful doses of Chinook, Simcoe and Centennial hops, which continue into the whirlpool. Oh, and dry hopped with Amarillo. Yeah, there's some malt. How do you think it got to 6.7% alcohol?

Sunriver Brewing Co. - High Desert Diesel Style: Imperial India Pale Ale ABV: 8 IBU: 80 Color: GoldenDescription: This is a big beer in every way: hops, malt, alcohol, flavor, aroma, mouthfeel – you name it. Its earthy, citrusy character derives from its grain bill of two-row, carared and carafoam malts, and nine hop additions, including Apollo, Falconer's Flight, Nelson Sauvin and Citra in the fermenter. The American Ale yeast ferments it clean and crisp.

Three Creeks Brewing Co. - Berry Infused 5 Pines Chocolate Porter Style: Chocolate Porter ABV: 6.2 IBU: 55 Color: BlackDescription: Two pounds per barrel of the finest Belgian dark chocolate are added to the boil, lending both sweetness and chocolaty bitterness to this dark, berry-infused brew. Dark and full-bodied, it's malt-forward, giving you a break from all of the big IPAs and sour beers at the festival.

Three Mugs Brewing Co. - Mo' Berry Honey Ale Style: Specialty Honey Beer ABV: 6.7 IBU: 6.5 Color: Pink/PurpleDescription: This brew combines the delicate flavor and aroma of orange blossom honey with the awesomeness of Northwest blackberries, which contribute a unique purple hue. Combined with a light pilsner malt base, an easy touch of Cascade hops, and a bit of sweetness from honey malt, the result is a very drinkable brew – light enough for summer but flavorful enough to enjoy all year long.

Thunder Island Brewing Co. - Cairn Cream Ale Style: Cream Ale ABV: 4.9 IBU: 16 Color: GoldenDescription: This pale, straw-colored ale is low on hops and big on flavor. Premium two-row barley, flaked corn and flaked rice make up the creamy and full flavored malt profile, balanced by just enough Falconer's Flight hops at the beginning of the boil. Moderate in body and alcohol, you can go back for more of this easy drinking offering.

Upright Brewing - Wit Style: Belgian-Style Witbier ABV: 5.1 IBU: 16 Color: GoldenDescription: Upright Wit uses a sour mash, distinct amaro-like bitter orange peel, coriander and open fermentation with a blend of two yeast strains to yield a unique profile for the classic Belgian style. A single dose of mid-boil Sterling hops provides the moderate, balancing bitterness. The beer is light but flavorful with a pleasant creaminess from both wheat and oats, but finishes extra dry.

Van Moll - Luikse Vechter Style: Luiks Bier ABV: 6 IBU: 40 Color: GoldenDescription: Taste a bit of European history with this forgotten Dutch beer style made with more than 50% malted spelt. Van Moll kept the malt bill of this brew true to its traditional Low Country roots, and specifically those from the Liege area: 55% spelt malt, unmalted wheat and only a small percentage of malted barley (pilsner and Munich). Centennial and Tettnanger hops combine wonderfully with the crisp, peppery taste of the spelt.

Vertigo Brewing - Apricot Cream Ale Style: Cream Ale ABV: 5.1 IBU: 13 Color: GoldenDescription: Apricots are added toward the end of this beer's fermentation, lending a sweet fruit character to the brew. The grist of pale, caramel, dextrapils and flaked barley produces a golden, medium-bodied brew. The American Ale yeast strain ferments dry and finishes soft, smooth and clean, and late doses of Saaz and Mt. Hood hops keep the hop bitterness from masking the fruit flavor.

Viking Braggot Co. - Shield Maiden Style: Specialty Honey Beer ABV: 6.2 IBU: 18 Color: GoldenDescription: Shield Maiden is a fruity, French farmhouse-inspired braggot brewed with local raspberry honey and then conditioned on raspberries. The French Saison yeast combined with a simple grist (pilsner, wheat and spelt malts) and hop bill (Nugget and Cascade) allows for the honey and yeast character to shine through and create a light and refreshing summer braggot.

Widmer Brothers Brewing - A Beer Has No Name Style: Black Ale ABV: 4.2 IBU: 44 Color: BlackDescription: A Beer Has No Name. It has no discernible style. It is what we make of it. It wears the mask of CDA but teases the palate with coffee, oats, lactose and orange zest. It is dry hopped with things called X527 and Jarrylo. It is a light, sessionable summer beer in disguise. It will sneak up, surprise the taste buds, and leave on the wind.

Y Market Brewing - Yellow Sky Pale Ale Style: Fruit Beer ABV: 6.1 IBU: 18.4 Color: GoldenDescription: This beer is a modified version of Y Market's wildly-popular "Purple Sky Pale Ale." This yellow version incorporates the peel of the yuzu fruit, a citrus fruit commonly found in Japan, to create a deliciously fruity pale ale. Crisp pale, two-row and sour malt form the grist, buttressed by a bit of dextrose. Citra hops create a nice balance with the citrus, and leave a refreshing finish.

Y Market Brewing - Hysteric IPA Style: India Pale Ale ABV: 7.3 IBU: 53 Color: Light AmberDescription: This is a traditional Northwest-style IPA, made with international ingredients, in Japan. The malt bill of (UK) crisp pale ale and crystal, (German) carapils and carahell, and two-row are hopped with U.S. Simcoe, Citra and Chinook in the kettle, and New Zealand's Motueka as well as more Simcoe and U.S. Mosaic. And the yeast? A nice, local Wyeast Northwest Ale yeast. It's like a trip around the world in a glass.